Five airline groups are suing the Netherlands for capping flights at Schiphol airport, near Amsterdam, to cut carbon emissions.
KLM Group, Delta, Corendon, easyJet and Tui have joined forces to take proceedings against the Dutch government “in a bid to keep the Netherlands connected to the rest of the world via Schiphol airport,” KLM said in a statement.
The group said the Dutch government’s “unilateral and sudden” decision to reduce Schiphol’s capacity from 500,000 to 460,000 flight annual movements was “incomprehensible”.
Airlines had already made “multibillion euros investments” towards decarbonisation, it said, adding that the government’s justification did not consider “alternative workable solutions to effect noise reduction.”
The KLM Group, which includes KLM, KLM Cityhopper, Martinair and Transavia, accounts for close to 60% of traffic at Schiphol.
Peter Carter, executive vice-president of Delta, said: “We strongly object to capacity reductions at Schiphol airport and remain actively focused on investing in our fleet renewal and modernisation program as the most effective way forward to mitigate noise and environmental concerns.”
The International Air Transport Association, which represents airlines worldwide, is also joining the case.
